RUI: Novel Phenomena in Photonic Structures Induced with Engineered Coupling

瞬变耦合一维和二维波导的周期阵列引起的小折射率变化已经成为探索光学以外的许多现象的平台。本项目主要研究特殊设计的具有工程耦合的光子结构中的一些基本问题和新现象，包括光隧穿抑制和隧穿相干破坏的图像传输、负耦合及其相关现象、蜂窝光子晶格和超晶格中的类肖克利和拓扑诱导表面态、无序晶格中的带隙现象和光输运。该项目是在可重构周期结构的光学环境下进行的，特别是具有耦合或纵向调制智能设计的光诱导二维晶格和三维光子晶格。虽然是在简单的光学环境下进行的，但这项研究预计将对其他科学领域产生直接影响，从固体物理学到光子晶体，从流体力学到原子物理学，如玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚在周期势中。这个项目的主要重点是指导本科生，特别是那些来自不同种族的旧金山湾区的学生。这项工作的一个强大的教育组成部分是，研究项目被用作教学和发现的一种形式，学生们积极参与学习研究方法，分享发现和解释。

Small refractive-index variations induced as periodic arrays of evanescently coupled 1D and 2D waveguides have served as a platform for exploring many phenomena beyond optics. In this RUI research project, some fundamental issues and novel phenomena in specially-designed photonic structures with engineered coupling are being studied, including light tunneling inhibition and image transmission via coherent destruction of tunneling, negative coupling and associated phenomena, Shockley-like and topologically induced surface states in honey-comb photonic lattices and superlattices, and bandgap phenomena and light transport in disordered lattices. This project is being carried out in an optical setting of reconfigurable periodic structures, especially optically induced 2D lattices with intelligent design of coupling or longitudinal modulation and 3D photonic lattices.Although performed in a simple optical setting, the research are expected to have direct impact on other areas of sciences, ranging from solid state physics to photonic crystals, and from hydrodynamics to atomic physics such as Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in periodic potentials. A major emphasis of this project is placed on mentoring undergraduate students, particularly those from the ethnically diverse San Francisco Bay Area population. A strong educational component of this work is that the research project is being used as a form of teaching as well as discovery, and the students are actively involved in learning research methods and in sharing discoveries and interpretations.